. >>> good evening everyone. i'm don lemon. thanks forjoiningus. tonightwe're going to devote the better part of this hour to a discussion about the controversy swirling around bishop eddie long. among those joining us ted haggard a man who faced his own sex scandal while a minister but first we want to catch up on the top stories. they are drying out in the upper midwest but the water left behind from recent storms is causing big problems. torrential downpours have led to days of rising flood waters in parts of minnesota and wisconsin. no reports of deaths or injuries though. but the flooding is expected to last throughout the weekend. a federal judge is ordering the air force to reinstate an openly lesbian flight nurse. major margaret witt was discharged in 2007 under the military's don't ask don't tell policy but the judge ruled the discharge violated witt's constitutional rights. this past week the senate blocked a defense bill that would have repealed don't ask don't tell. a watch dog group for the separation of church and state is criticizing a concert staged today at fort b

the pentagon destroys books, one author's work is rubbing the military the wrong way. he'lljoinusinthe 4:00 eastern hour to talk about the pentagon's decision. and a student film on steroids now going viral on the web. we'll check out all of the top clips from this week coming up in the 5:00 eastern hour. with television cameras rolling and a jam packed congregation listening, megachurch leader eddie long took to the pulpit today for the first time in days to address allegations he sexually abused young men. four lawsuits filed against him last week claim that he coerced young men into sexual relationships during overnight trips and then lavished them with expensive gifts. here's how bishop long responded this morning. [ applause ] >> there have been allegations and attacks made on me. i have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. but i am not the man that's being portrayed on the television. that's not me. as i said earlier, i am not a perfect man but this thing i am going to fight. i want you to know one other thing. i feel like david against goliath but i got five r

. >> good to see you again. ted turner, thank you and thanks to allofusforjoiningustoday.we're hoping you connect to us on twitter. for my cohost, we do read every single one of the messages you post there or on facebook. join us every weekend. you can also log on 24/7 to cnnmoney.com. have a great weekend. >>> a look at the headlines in the "newsroom." bishop eddie long speaks. he says he'll fight lawsuits saying he coerced young men into having sex. >>> a memoir the defense department doesn't want you to read. it has destroyed thousands of copies. we'll talk to the author of "operation dark heart." >>> and did you have trouble watching nickelodeon yesterday? well, that was the idea. the children's network going dark long enough for you and your kids to go out and play. we'll tell you why. >>> our top story, bishop eddie long is speaking out about the sex scandal that's enveloped his atlanta-n atlanta-area megachurch. today he addressed allegations of sex with young men from the pulpit. he said while he's never professed to be a perfect man, he said he's not the man that's bei

network in iraq and afghanistan. thanks for starting your daywithus. >>>also coming up over the next 90 minutes, protecting state secrets or going too far. the defense department buys and then destroys thousands of copies of this book, written by an army reserve officer. a book disclosing secret operations in afghanistan. a department spokesman says the book titled "operation dark heart" contained information that could damage national security. the author, a lieutenant colonel, said the action, quoting here, smacks of retaliation. >>> believe it or not, this bird, that one there, it's under arrest. police in one notorious drug trading city in colombia said the parrot was trained by his owners, suspected drug dealers torbgs alert them when the police showed up. we'll have the details for you in the morning passport. >>> plus profiting on youtube. you may not know their names, but you know their videos. now their online videos are earning them a pretty good living. >>> let's get right to the controversy over a leading baptist minister. bishop eddie long of the new birth missionary baptis

joiningus. tonightwe'll devote the better part of this hour to the controversy swirling around bishop eddie long. ted haggard faced his own sex scandal. but we want to catch up on some of the top stories. >>> the water left behind in the midwest from recent storms is causing big problems. torrential downpours caused flooding. it's expected to last throughout the weekend. >>> a federal judge is ordering the air force to reinstate an openly lesbian flight nurse. major margaret witt was discharged in 2007 under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. but the judge said it violated witt's constitutional rights. they blocked a bill that would have repealed the "don't ask, don't tell." >>> the separation of church and state watchdog group staged at fort bragg, north carolina. it was put on by the billy graham evangelistic association, which has staged similar events on other u.s. military bases. critics said the gathering blurred the line between the state, in this case, the military and religion. >>> the leader of one of the biggest churches in america is under siege right no

joiningus, apacked house, a minister under fire, and the words everyone was waiting to hear. >> i am not a perfect man. but this thing i'm going to fight. >> bishopety long, leader of a suburban atlanta mega church. he took to the pulpit for the first time since being accused of having sexual relations with four young men who had been in his church. long didn't address any of the specifics in the civil lawsuits against him, but he repeatedly quoted scripture invoking the image of himself as a righteous and innocent man under attack by evil forces. as a matter of fact, he said, david and goliath a lot. martin savidge joins us. he was at today's service. were the congregation pleased with what they heard or not? >> i think overall, clearly he was in his element here and he spoke eloquently. he delivered his lines very well and many people left feeling more comfortable than when they went in. we were there when people started to go in at 5:30 in the morning, actually, people were in the parking lot waiting for the church doors to open the service didn't begin until 8:00 and he didn't ap

waste breaks down, it's methane gas andit'susedtopower the lights in the park and neighborhood. >>> we're tracking breaking news this hour out of wisconsin. we're getting word from columbus county officials in the central part of the state that there is a levy there that is failing. this is new video we just got in from portage, wisconsin. greg matthew joins me by phone. we understand an evacuation order has been issued for people in the black hawk area. >> we're concerned that a section of that 14-mile levy may collapse. we've been monitoring a boil since this morning. we took some precautionary steps. they didn't work. it could collapse at any time. we just don't know when. we're not really used to dealing with a situation like this. tht a 120-year-old relic. it was made of sand. where as a modern levy that our engineers are familiar with would be constructed of steel and concrete. so, if it does fail, we, quite frankly, don't know the extent and scope of what will happen. >> what's being done to prevent failure? >> we're working along the 14-mile long levy and other areas an

ultimately boats or perhaps even helicopters would have tobeusedtohelp out some of the people who are refusing to leave now because they might be in danger later? >> correct. >> all right, kathy johnson with the emergency management of columbia county, thanks so much for your time. appreciate that. >> you're welcome. >> all the best. >> thank you. >>> meantime, another top story of the day. we continue to follow david versus goliath. a biblical battle that pastor eddie long says he identifies with as he fights sexual abuse allegations. in lawsuits filed last week, four men claim long coerced them into sexual relationships while they were in their late teens. bishop long addressed the scandal today during a sermon to his atlanta-area congregation. without specifically mentioning the lawsuits, long insisted that he is under attack and, quote, not the man that's been portrayed on television. you're seeing him in images right there with his wife earlier. well, after the service, he talked to reporters. >> i just want to take this moment to address you again, as the advice of counsel,